Monday, April 09, 2007

Recently we saw a microcosm in our local city of what would happen with a National Health Care system.Certain things often seem very enticing when first brought up, but further studies show them to be a very poor idea. Such is the case with a National Health Care system and here’s largely the reason why.

Everything in this case anyway comes down to people’s behavior. An event recently in Atlanta reveals how people would act under a National Health Care system.

An amusement park in town (Six Flags Over Georgia) advertised free admission for the day. Guess what happened? So many young people were trying to take advantage of this free day that their were huge traffic jams trying to get to the park. Parents were letting their kids out of the car to walk on the Interstate near by which had become a parking lot. Police closed certain exit ramps to the park.

The point is whenever something is offered for free, people have a tendency to use the product or service in much greater quantity than they would other wise use it. Paying for something has a way of indicating the true value of something.

Case in point, I was recently at a Himalayan Goji Juice convention and while there the company offered free Goji Juice. Guess what, I was drinking almost 6 times more free Goji Juice than I normally drink.

The point is that whether it’s the free admission to Six Flags or the free goji juice the behavior is predictably the same. There was a much higher demand on the product or service than would be typical. Over time this would lead to either short falls in the product supply and or reduction in the quality of the service. Overworked people eventually get to the point of reducing their quality of service. This is a natural reaction.

The same would hold true with a National Health Care system. Because of the perceived free health care people would put a much greater strain on the system resulting in a reduction in quality and/or rationing and shortages of health care.

Consider this, what if there was a national gas system where everyone received free gas. There would end up being shortages and huge lines and rationing of gas.

This is why a National Health Care system is such a bad idea and would really ruin healthcare in this country..